Phillies hold breath, hope Wilson Ramos (sore wrist) can return soon

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Updated: Thursday, 1:05 a.m.

WASHINGTON — The Phillies were without catcher Wilson Ramos’ productive bat for a second straight game Wednesday night.

Ramos spent the day in Philadelphia and had an MRI on his sore left wrist. He took a pitch off the wrist on Saturday and aggravated it taking a swing on Sunday.

“So far, the results of the MRI are good,” manager Gabe Kapler said before Wednesday night’s game. “We’ll monitor how he's feeling and be prepared to read and react. As of right now, he's good.”

After the game, Ramos confirmed that the MRI uncovered nothing serious. He said he was confident he could avoid the disabled list. He hopes to play Friday night in Toronto.

"It's a little sore, but I can play with it sore," he said.

The Phillies acquired Ramos from Tampa Bay last month. At the time, he was on the disabled list with a hamstring strain. Ramos was activated last week and quickly made a huge impact with his bat. In four games, he had seven hits including four doubles and a triple. Losing Ramos for more than a few games would be a significant blow to the Phillies, who are trying to stay in contention with a weak-hitting team. The Phils entered Wednesday ranked 29th in the majors with a .236 team batting average. Jorge Alfaro started at catcher Wednesday night with Zach Eflin on the mound. The Phillies lost, 8-7, on a two-run, walk-off homer by Ryan Zimmerman with two outs in the ninth (see first take).

Working with a new pitching staff can be a challenge for a catcher. Ramos was struck on the wrist by a pitch from Jake Arrieta in Saturday’s game. Ramos was crossed up on the play. The pitch hit Ramos’ wrist with significant impact and he shook it right away. He was checked by a team athletic trainer, stayed in the game and caught the next night against the Mets in Williamsport, Pennsylvania. In that game, Ramos said he felt a twinge taking a swing.

Ramos did not play Tuesday night. Kapler admitted the sore wrist was a factor in Ramos' not playing, though Kapler did not disclose the issue at the time. On Tuesday, Kapler said he held Ramos out to protect his hamstring from a wet field.

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